Just Kid'ding Around
by Renkin-chan
Summary: Wherein Kaito has a problem with Shinichi's soccer skills, and Shinichi has multiple problems courtesy of one Kaitou KID. Eventual Kaishin.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** The plot is mine, but that's about it.

**Warnings:** Er, Kaishin? Language, too, I guess...

* * *

Kuroba Kaito, in the persona of Kaitou KID, really hated the fact that outside of solving mysteries and reading Sherlock Holmes, Kudou Shinichi's favorite hobby was playing soccer.

Normally Kaito didn't much care what the detectives who chased him did in their spare time. Well, with the exception of Hakuba. That prick just never seemed to realize that following Kaito around in hopes of finding actual evidence of him being KID was not only rude but _creepy_. But British bastard aside, Kaito didn't much care that Hattori Heiji practiced kendo, Nakamori Ginzou golfed, and Mouri Kogorou blew his money at the horse races. Shinichi seemed to have been the only one to have not received the memo that quite plainly said hobbies were to be done in one's _spare time_.

Now it may seem egotistical, but Kaito didn't consider a Kaitou KID heist to fall under the category of spare time. Thus Kaito never expected to see a soccer ball, bokken, golf clubs, or betting receipt at a heist unless he brought them himself or they fit the heist setting. And normally that was the case. After all, most normal people didn't tote those things around. There was just the little problem of Kudou Shinichi being nowhere _near_ normal. Putting aside his three year stint as the child Edogawa Conan and his being the key component in the take-down of the largest criminal organization in the world, death followed Shinichi everywhere.

While initially he usually just finds dead bodies, being the justice loving detective he is also leads him to find the murderers as well. And, generally, murderers don't like that. Which Kaito could sort of understand. If he had spent two years devising a clever way to kill his brother using dental floss and toothpicks only to have some busybody detective solve how the crime was done within an hour of finding the body, he would be pretty angry too. And thus, all too often Shinichi had unsavory characters trying to do him harm.

So in order to prevent a 'Conan-type' situation from ever happening to him again, Shinichi asked Agasa to make him an adult sized Anywhere Ball Dispensing Belt. Or as Shinichi liked to call it, the SoccerBelt. (Agasa-hakase, while great at making gadgets, absolutely sucked at naming them.) It was great for not only fending off murderers, but avid fans, kidnappers, and general stalkers as well. Yes, Kudou Shinichi did indeed have creepy stalkers. Being famous, even moderately, was dangerous. Which Kaito could sympathize with, really he could. Kaito was actually _glad_ Shinichi had a way to protect himself from criminals and creepers.

There was just the one issue of the detective wearing the SoccerBelt to KID heists. Kaito was in no way, shape, or form any kind of Shinichi stalker. Sure, he liked to keep tabs on what the detective was up to, but he did that for all his detectives. They were all danger prone, and it was his own way of making sure a 'Conan-type' incident never happened again. Kaito also didn't consider himself a criminal. Though Kaitou KID was technically labeled as a thief, he never actually kept anything he stole. He always made sure to return the taken items in perfect condition. And he had a very strict Nobody Gets Hurt policy.

So despite the fact that Kaitou KID was neither a stalker nor criminal, Kudou Shinichi still insisted on wearing the SoccerBelt to heists. Which was, truth be told, rather irritating. Personal insult notwithstanding (KID heists were usually perfectly safe. Getting there and returning home? Not so much, particularly for Shinichi), Kaito was willing to overlook its presence if it weren't for the fact that Shinichi insisted on _using_ the blasted thing! On _him_ no less! Now if Shinichi were to use it on Hakuba… Well, Kaito didn't think he would complain. Some days the Brit was really just asking for a soccer ball to the face.

The thing was, Kaito was sick and tired of waking up the morning after a heist with soccer ball induced bruises. Though between going home with bruises or going home without the jewel, Kaito would definitely choose going home with the jewel. But he'd much prefer getting away without the ouchies. It wasn't like he got hit very often. Being a phantom thief, and dealing with Nakamori Aoko on a daily basis, meant that he was very good at dodging things.

Whether it was the task force, a mop, or a randomly thrown _finny thing_, Kaito was rather difficult to pin down and hit. It was just that Shinichi was really, _really_ good at soccer. For goodness sake, the boy could calculate just what way to kick a ball to have it ricochet off of five different things before hitting his target. It was a rather scary thing to behold. Kaito would think he'd completely dodged it only to have it come at him from the ceiling. Don't ask him how; he wasn't _nearly_ as good at on-the-spot physics as Shinichi apparently was.

In fact, Shinichi's deadly aim was one of the (very good) reasons Kaito still brought his card gun to heists even though Snake could no longer attend them due to his permanent residence in jail. Shinichi's deadly aim was also why Snake was in jail. It seemed that Shinichi wasn't very fond of being held hostage. Or perhaps it was the being groped while being held hostage that he wasn't very partial to. It was anyone's guess really. Just that once Kaito let his Nobody Gets Hurt policy slide. Snake had _really_ deserved the elbow to the face and kick to the balls.

That wonderfully pleasant memory aside, Kaito was always doubly sure to bring his card gun to heists. Not only was it great at popping soccer balls, but it also helped to keep the detective busy. Busy feet couldn't very well kick soccer balls now could they? There was just one problem with his SoccerBelt defense; Kaito couldn't use the gun unless the only people in the area were Shinichi and himself. Shinichi was the only one he could trust to actually be able to dodge the razor sharp cards. So being unable to thoroughly rely upon his card gun to keep Shinichi occupied, Kaito decided it was time to implement a new game plan. Operation Abject Humiliation would begin next heist.

* * *

**A/N:** So I hope you enjoyed what I have posted thus far, the next chapter is already half-way done so expect to see it soon! If you liked it, please tell me why so I know what I'm doing right and what I need to fix. Thank you!


	2. Chapter 2

Shinichi woke with a sense of foreboding. It was a stagnant, cloying feeling in his chest, telling him that he really didn't want to venture out into the world today. He lay in bed contemplating the feeling before deciding to ignore it. He didn't think Hattori would much appreciate him not showing up at the station just because he had a bad feeling. In fact, Hattori would probably—even worse—laugh at him; even though Hattori is the one who carries around an omamori.

Despite popular opinion, Shinichi did not believe himself to be cursed. He was just unlucky enough to run into dead bodies every couple of days. No biggie. He knew it happened to Hattori and Hakuba as well. Maybe not as often…but they were all corpse magnets. Sure, as a child it had been rather freaky, but once he got started on the 'whodunit' game the bodies had stopped bothering him quite so much. He couldn't undo the crimes other people committed, but he could do his best to solve the crimes and put the culprits behind bars.

Shinichi sighed before rolling out of bed. He might as well get the day started; it was going to be a long one. Unless he was very much mistaken, the next Kaitou KID heist was scheduled for tonight. Shinichi had invited Hattori to Beika for the event. For once they could do something together that (hopefully) wouldn't include poking at a dead body or disabling a bomb. It always put a big crimp in the day when they went to a baseball game only to discover a bomb under one of their seats. That happened a lot more often than Shinichi liked to admit.

Shinichi shook himself out of his thoughts and finished feeding the ends of his SoccerBelt through the belt loops on his cargo pants. Slipping on a dark blue fitted polo, he made his way downstairs to grab his wallet and keys and slide on his shoes before making his way into the garage. Yes, Kudou Shinichi had a car. He'd known how to drive at the age of 12 and had gotten a license the day he was of legal age to do so. And even though Shinichi had his mother's driving skills, Kudou Yusaku had thought it wise to buy his son a car for college. Besides, Yusaku didn't want to listen to Yukiko complaining to him about Shinichi complaining to her about how he kept being late for or missing his classes due to people dying on the bus he took to campus.

Shinichi arrived at the Beika Station in record time. After parking he went inside and discovered that even though the Shinkansen had arrived, no one was being let off until the police finished questioning the witnesses. Apparently Hattori's two and a half hour ride from Osaka to Beika hadn't gone as smoothly as he would have liked. After half an hour of waiting Hattori finally stormed out of the bullet train and joined Shinichi on the platform.

Shinichi gave him a half-lidded amused look, "Enjoy yourself?"

Hattori shot him a glare, "Shut it. Some lady slipped her husband poison right in front of me and the idiot inspector is blathering 'bout if I was sure that's what I saw! I ain't blind! 'Vitamin powder' my ass!"

Shinichi nodded his head in the direction of his car, "Come on, I parked my car over there. 'Vitamin powder'? Really? I'm almost positive there is no such thing."

"That's cuz it don't exist! Can't even make believable sh—wait, car? Nuh-uh, no way Kudou I prefer to live. I ain't getting in a car with you behind the wheel. Gimme your keys."

Shinichi rolled his eyes, "Oh grow a pair, Hattori. My driving isn't that bad; I've never even gotten a ticket. Besides, I figured you would rather not chance a murder taking place on the bus. Again."

Hattori grimaced, "The only reason you don't have a ticket is cuz the cops don't dare to chase after you for their own safety! You're crazy! You're dad shoulda never let your mom teach you how ta drive. Now I'd like ta live ta see Osaka again, so hand 'em over! I've already had one case today; I ain't takin' the bus or lettin' you drive. Both are likely ta lead ta murder."

Shinichi raised a brow, "Oh? I'll have you know I've never run anyone over."

"Yet." finished Hattori. Then, grinning at him, he adds, "I'd sooner kill you than get in that car with you drivin' it."

Shinichi rolled his eyes before dropped the keys into Hattori's outstretched hand, "Fine, if you're going to be so adamant about it you big baby. I'd hate for you to commit murder on my account, especially if I'm the intended victim. You do know how to get to my house from here right?"

Hattori shot him a disgusted look as they got into the car, "No Kudou, this is my first time in Beika."

"Well, so when the road T's you go straight—"

"Ha ha, very funny."

"Oh, you were joking?"

"You know Kudou, sometimes, I really wanna just punch you."

Shinichi smirked, "Don't worry, the feeling is mutual; I can assure you."

"Why did Haibara give you the antidote again? I think I liked you better when you were travel sized."

"Why? Because you could punt me across the room if I pissed you off?"

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"Why am I friends with you again?"

"Because of my outstanding intellect, amazing body, and awesome personality, of course."

"Who are you describing? I don't believe I know anyone with those qualities."

"That hurts me Kudou, it really does."

Shinichi rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah. Put a Band-Aid on your wounded ego so we can start discussing what you came to Beika for."

"So you're sure KID's after the Morning Sapphire?"

"Yes, I believe he plans to strike at--"

* * *

Shinichi could feel his headache growing. The ache right behind his eyes had started about two hours ago when he and Hattori had first arrived to the heist's locale. Hattori had not been pleased to discover Hakuba's attendance at the heist. He still wasn't, if the continued grumbles under his breath for the last hour and a half were any indication. After the first thirty minutes of listening to the two send snide remarks at each other, Shinichi had finally dragged Hattori away to talk to Nakamori about the arrangements for the jewel's protection. He really should have forewarned Hattori about how Hakuba usually turned up at Kaitou KID heists; at least then Hattori could have gotten the Hakuba Rant out of his system before they had arrived at the heist site. Hakuba and Hattori went together about as well as stripes and spots; their personalities just clashed.

The request for a private conversation with Nakamori had gone about as well as could be expected. He had granted the request but it had taken the boys twenty minutes (and much cheek pinching) before they had convinced the man that they were indeed the real Hattori Heiji and Kudou Shinichi and not Kaitou KID and his assistant. Only then did Nakamori reveal his plan to protect the jewel. Shinichi tried not to laugh in the man's face. Hattori had tried and failed. Putting a fake on display and hiding the real Morning Sapphire in his pocket was not only unoriginal, but also a really bad idea.

The poor man was probably running out of ideas to keep the jewel away from the thief after so many years of chasing him. It took another twenty minutes for the boys to convince Nakamori to, if not change the plan, then at least change whose pocket he put the jewel in. After all, putting it in his own pocket would be rather obvious. Nakamori had given them a nasty look before demanding to know just whose pocket they should put it in. They all thought about it for a moment before simultaneously looking down at Shinichi's multi-pocketed cargo pants.

So there he was, five minutes before the stated heist time with a pounding headache and multi-million dollar gem and several fakes distributed in the pockets of his pants. He was also feeling distinctly uncomfortable with Nakamori and Hattori staring at him, waiting to jump anyone who started feeling him up looking for the jewel. Shinichi didn't even want to imagine what Kaitou KID would think upon setting his eyes on the room's occupants. All the regulation officers were staring at the (fake) Morning Sapphire in the center of the room, with Hakuba giving Nakamori and Hattori funny looks because they were staring at Shinichi. Yeah, that wasn't peculiar at all. The sense of foreboding returned again. Tonight wasn't going to end very well.

His suspicions were confirmed when seconds later the lights went out. He heard Nakamori and Hattori curse. Shinichi sensed a presence in front of him but before he could do anything he was hit in the face with a small spurt of knockout gas. It wasn't enough of a dose to—as per its name—knock him out, but it made him feel woozy and weak-kneed. So he definitely wasn't in a state to fight back against the light touches he felt in the darkness, let alone figure out what the hands were doing. The hands left, and with their departure came a feeling that something was off. It wasn't until the lights came back on that Shinichi, in his dazed state, realized what had happened. Kaitou KID had not only taken the Morning Sapphire but Shinichi's clothes as well; leaving him in a—in a—

"I do believe that dress matches your eyes quite nicely Meitantei-kun. Please feel free to keep it and don't worry, I shall return your original outfit intact just like all of my other heists~."

Shinichi could feel the blush creeping across his face and down his neck burn. Nakamori and the task force couldn't decide whether to stare at the white-clad thief perched on the window or the unfortunate boy in the delicately detailed Renaissance-style dress, which did indeed match Shinichi's vibrant blue eyes. Hakuba and Hattori just stared at Shinichi gob smacked and eternally grateful that it wasn't them.

KID smirked saucily, "Never fear, Meitantei-kun; I'm sure Tantei-han will protect such a fair 'lady' on your way home. Adieu~!" Then with a two-fingered salute he was out the window and off into the night.

Seeing that Hattori was about to start laughing, Shinichi marched as best he could in three-inch stilettos over to the dark skinned boy and quite happily ground his heel into his foot. Ignoring Hattori's yelp of pain, Shinichi shot a glare at Hakuba, "I hope you don't find it funny either."

Hakuba put his hands up in a gesture of peace, "I can assure you that I have no intention of laughing at you. In fact, I was going to offer you the spare set of clothes I have in my car."

Shinichi perked up, "A spare set of clothes? May I?"

"Yes. I always come prepared; I've had too many suits ruined at Kaitou KID heists to not carry a spare."

They headed towards the blond's car, Hattori hobbling behind. Hakuba grabbed the bag of clothes from his car and handed it over to Shinichi. The crossdressing boy reached into the bag and pulled out a matching blue bonnet. Hattori snickered and received another high-heeled foot stomp.

Hakuba sighed, "I apologize. It seems he thought ahead."

Shinichi shrugged, "No it's fine; I've known today wasn't going to go my way since I woke up."

Hakuba nodded in understanding, "Bad feeling?"

"Yeah."

The soon-to-be cripple spoke up, "You know Kudou, you could wear an omamori--OUCH DAMNIT!"

"I DO NOT NEED A GOOD LUCK CHARM!

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**AN:** Why does this site have to be so hard to upload the next chapter! That took me WAY to long to figure out! DX Gah, so anyway I hope everyone enjoys! I already have how I want the next chapter to be set up, now I just need to type it! 


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Mario either.

**A/N:** There are puns in this chapter, if you don't get any just let me know and I will explain it! Btw, for the Japanese pun you need to know that **aka** means **red** and **aka-chan** means **baby (infant)**.

Also I would like to thank my two wonderful betas, **Tsukika** and **Megildur**!

* * *

The first thing Shinichi did when he woke up was pray that he would _never_ have a repeat performance of the day before. Shinichi could safely conclude that he would rather be shot than ever have to wear a dress again. He could accurately say this because he'd _been_ shot before. Wearing the dress had been much more painful. At least bullet wounds only took about three weeks to heal. Shinichi didn't think his pride would ever recover from the blow it took by being subjected to wearing the dress in front of his colleagues. He just wanted to hole up in his house for the next year until everyone forgot about the incident. Unfortunately he didn't think that was likely to happen courtesy of the asshole pounding on his bedroom door.

"Would the lady of the house please get her ass out of bed so we can _go_? If I'm not back in Osaka by noon Kazuha will kill me! And why the hell is your door locked?"

Shinichi rolled out of bed, shuffling over to the door and opening it with a glare, "Tell Toyama-san that if she needs it I would be happy to help. And if you had _my_ mother you would quickly develop the habit of always locking your door as well."

Hattori stared at him a moment, "You know, I really don't think I wanna know."

"No you really, _really_ don't." Then almost nonchalantly Shinichi pulled back his foot, and then quickly shot it forward into Hattori's shin. Hattori cursed and jumped. Rubbing his stinging shin, he yelled, "The hell was that for!"

"The lady of the house would like the resident _idiot_ to move his ass. I want coffee damnit, and you're in the way."

Ignoring the dirty look Hattori shot at him, Shinichi brushed past him and both boys headed downstairs. Making their way across the ground floor, Hattori almost ran straight into Shinichi when the Eastern detective stopped short upon entering the kitchen. Hattori leaned to the side to see what had stopped Shinichi. There on the dining table was a stack of clothing. To be exact, the clothes Shinichi had been wearing the night before. Along with the neatly folded clothing was the SoccerBelt and Shinichi's shoes. Propped up against the clothes was a simple white note. Approaching, Shinichi picked up the note and flipped it over to read it, Hattori leaning over his shoulder to do so as well.

_Dearest Meitantei-kun,_

_I hope you enjoyed last night's heist as much as I did. May all our future meetings go so well. I remain sincerely yours,_

_Kaitou KID (doodle)_

_P.S. You need better security! You didn't lock your bedroom window! You should be more careful, thieves could get in._

"So why _wasn't_ your window locked?"

"My room is on the third floor, I didn't think it'd be an issue!"

They stared at each other is silence for a moment, and then Hattori finally had to ask, "How does Kaitou KID even know where you live? What did he do, follow you home from a heist one day?"

Shinichi grimaced, "He probably did a lot of research on me once he figured out that Edogawa Conan was a front for Kudou Shinichi."

"Well that's creepy."

"Like you have any right to say that. Need I remind you that you knew I was tone-deaf before we had ever even met? That's not exactly common knowledge, Hattori."

"Uh, er, well—hey look at the time! Grab your coffee and let's go!"

* * *

Kaito limped into the kitchen and carefully sat down at the table. Chikage looked at her son with concern shining brightly on her face, "Kaito, are you all right? Did you get hurt at the heist?"

Kaito gave his mother a reassuring smile, "Just bruised. Meitantei-kun was a little enthusiastic last night, and his soccer ball got me on the thigh."

Chikage nodded in understanding, a mischievous smile lighting upon her face, "Well, you'll just have to try harder to get the dear to stop, now won't you? Though try not to traumatize the poor boy too badly."

Kaito smirked, "I make no promises."

* * *

Shinichi cursed as he watched Kaitou KID dart out the door, before taking off after the escaping thief. He also silently cursed the mansion's eccentric owner for placing so many statues, vases, and random junk so haphazardly everywhere in the house. It made it twice as difficult to keep up with the irritating thief when he kept having to keep an eye on the ground lest he run into something and break it. Unfortunately this distraction made it so Shinichi didn't see the trap said thief had set up for him.

Upon stepping through the next doorway Shinichi was hit with a bucketful of bright red paint. Stopping dead in his tracks, Shinichi looked up just in time to see a bucket's worth of glitter descend upon him. Brushing aside his dripping, glittering bangs Shinichi glared at the snickering thief.

Kaitou KID waggled his fingers in a little wave while wearing a shark-like grin, "Well now, what's that glare for? Aren't you happy to see me, Meitantei-kun? I missed you so~."

"The day I'm actually happy to see your stupid mug I will willingly tell Ran her hair-style is ridiculous."

"While I agree with you on the—excuse the pun—hair point, and as much as it pains me to remind you of this fact, we have the same face. I thought you had figured that out by now, or are you losing your touch?"

Shinichi could feel his eye start to develop a twitch, "It was a figure of speech! And yes, I am fully aware that you are able to disguise yourself as me without using a mask. Though I have to question your intelligence as to why you insist on reminding me of it. It's almost like you _want_ me to hunt you down."

KID gave what Shinichi would have found to be an endearing smile had the paint and glitter covered teen not been so irritated with the thief, "Now we both know that you'd never do that, Meitantei-kun. You're more concerned with murderers than chasing down thieves on their days off."

Shinichi sighed, and then grimaced at the feeling of paint sliding down the back of his shirt, "The only reason I don't is because I know you're harmless. Unlike Hakuba, I know there are more important things to do than chase a thief who always returns what he steals and has a no violence policy. You're more of an irritant than a felon."

KID pouted, "How mean~! I'll have you know thousands of people all over the world love me!"

"Only because they've never personally met you. You dumped paint and glitter on me."

"Believe me, you deserved it."

"For _what_?"

"Unfortunately it looks like our time together tonight is over. You have a way to go yet before you can totally out-wit me, aka-chan. Until next time!" Then with a wink and poof of smoke he was gone. Shinichi jumped as somebody cleared their throat right behind him.

"I don't believe Kaitou _KID_-san has any right to call you that." Hakuba said as he stared at the sparkly red monstrosity standing before him.

"It _was_ lacking in taste. What took you so long to get here?"

"I took a bit more time to ensure that I wouldn't fall into any, ah," he looked Shinichi over, "traps. Why were you just chatting with him?"

"Instead of trying to catch him? I'm covered in paint; I'd rather not get it anywhere else in this mansion than I absolutely have to."

"Ah, well, let's make our way to the garden shall we? I'm pretty sure I saw a hose there earlier; we can try to rinse the paint and glitter off so it doesn't ruin the upholstery in your car too badly. I'm afraid your clothes have become a casualty to yet another one of Kaitou KID-san's pranks."

Shinichi pouted, "I really liked these shoes, too."

"If you want I can give you the address to send the bill to for a new pair."

Shinichi smirked at him before reaching back and pulling out a mini transmitter microphone from underneath his shirt collar, "No, I don't think that will be necessary, thank you. Hey KID, you've been listening right? I don't care about the pants and shirt, but I most definitely want my shoes replaced. Though this time I suggest you _not_ go through my bedroom window again."

Hakuba stared at the tiny transmitter sitting in Shinichi's palm, "That's rather creepy. Does that usually happen?"

Shinichi glanced at Hakuba, "What, him bugging me or him coming into my house via the window in my room?"

"Both, actually."

"Ah, well if he sees the opportunity he'll try to slip a bug on me. He's only ever been to my house once that I know of, and it was to return what he'd taken from me."

"The dress incident?"

Shinichi flushed, "We don't talk about that. Ever."

There was a lull in the conversation before Hakuba asked, "I bet that hot-headed idiot mentions it every time you see him, doesn't he?"

Shinichi glowered, "Yes, yes he does."

* * *

Kaito scowled down into the breakfast pan. Two fluffy golden-brown pancakes stared innocently back up at him. Kaito took a deep breath before reaching up to grab the pan with one hand and then he flipped the pancakes one last time before removing them from the pan with the other hand, wincing all the while. He had been hit with what felt like the force of a bullet last night on just the perfect spot on his shoulder to make even wiggling his fingers hurt.

Kaito hadn't been aware it was possible to kick a ball that hard; he should have known by now not to underestimate Kudou Shinichi. Kaito stared at the rest of the pancake mix he still had to make into batter. Whimpering, he started mixing it. Poker Face be damned, he could act like a baby if he wanted to in his own house. Kaito silently swore to himself that he would make Shinichi regret the day he made making pancakes hurt.

* * *

Shinichi didn't think the smug smirk on Kaitou KID's face boded well for his future or his dignity. That was his last thought before he got a blast of pink knock-out gas to the face and everything went dark. When Shinichi regained consciousness, the first thing he noticed was that he couldn't move. His ankles were tied together, as were his hands tied behind his back, and his arms tied to his torso. He also noticed that he was hanging from a rope attached to a beam on the ceiling, as evidence of the fact that he was currently staring down at Hakuba, Nakamori, and the rest of the task force some twenty feet below him. The next thing Shinichi noticed, besides the fact that he seemed to be in a warehouse of sorts, was that Hakuba was in a Mario costume with a giant sign in his hand that read "Go Save Princess Peach!".

Shinichi took stock of his situation once more and groaned. Sure enough, he was decked out in a Princess Peach costume, including: white high-heels, white elbow-length gloves, a poofy pink dress, a long wavy blonde wig, and nestled atop the wig a jeweled tiara. Shinichi was willing to bet what little he had left of his dignity that the tiara was the same one KID had stolen at the heist.

Hakuba called up to the hog-tied boy, "So has Princess Peach finally woken up?"

"I don't think Sir Mario is in any position to tease me."

"True, but I'm not the one in a dress. Again."

Shinichi sighed, "You have a point. So, where are we? This doesn't look like the museum."

"That's because it's not. We are in a warehouse that is located approximately four blocks away from the museum."

"...How did he get me here without anyone spotting us?"

Hakuba shrugged, "It does make one wonder."

Nakamori shouted up at the boy, "Kudou-kun! Don't drop that tiara! We'll get you down once my men grab a ladder!"

Shinichi dead-panned, "Nakamori-keibu, I assure you I'm not going anywhere of my own volition."

Two members of the task force came into the warehouse carrying a large ladder. They set in up beneath Shinichi only to realize that the ladder was about ten feet too short to reach him.

Nakamori cursed, "How the hell did that damned thief get him up there!"

Shinichi sighed, "I'm going to be stuck up here for a while, aren't I?"

* * *

Kaito grumbled under his breath as his alarm went off. He rolled over to turn it off and immediately wished he hadn't. If the pain was anything to go by, Kaito was fairly sure he had a bruise the size of Russia on his back. Quickly deciding that not moving was in his best interest, Kaito laid in bed and listened to his alarm grow louder and louder.

There was a knock at his bedroom door, "Kaito? Get up and turn off your alarm clock!"

Kaito groaned, "Kaa-san..."

There was a pause and then Chikage opened the door, "Yes? Kaito, what is it?"

He gave her the most pitiful look he could muster up, "You'd still love me if I was a cripple, right? You'd take care of me if I could never move again, right? You wouldn't just leave me here to rot?"

Chikage rolled her eyes, "For goodness sake Kaito, it's just a bruise."

* * *

"Oh no you don't. You aren't getting away _this_ time, not from me." Shinichi muttered under his breath as he spotted Kaitou KID slipping out one of the building's second-story windows. Paying no mind to the (obvious to Shinichi) balloon dummy Nakamori and the task force were chasing after, Shinichi dashed to the window in time to see KID dash into one of Ekoda's many parks. Glancing down, Shinichi made a quick calculation of the distance to the ground and decided to risk it. If KID could make the jump he could too, right? Right.

"He's headed into the park!" Shinichi yelled over his shoulder before jumping out the window, ignoring Hattori and Hakuba's cries for him to stop. Shinichi hit the grass with a roll and quickly came to his feet, taking off after the thief. Catching up to him, Shinichi narrowed his eyes at the white-clad thief stopped before him. Coming to a halt a short distance away, the detective asked, "Were you _waiting_ for me?"

Kaitou KID gave him a cheeky grin, "I wanted to see if you would make the jump."

"Did you actually think I wouldn't? Or were you worried?"

"No, I have complete faith in your willingness and ability to continually perform reckless stunts and come out relatively unscathed."

A light dusting of pink made an appearance across Shinichi's cheeks, "I'm not reckless!"

KID tsked at him, "Now, now, that's a bit of a falsehood. I seem to recall an incident where a certain seven-year-old purposefully fell off a skyscraper just to get a chance to dart me when I attempted to rescue him. But enough of that. Shall we continue the chase, Meitantei-kun?"

"What, sick of talking already?"

"To you? Never. However the night grows short. Let us see who will win tonight, hmm?"

With that, Kaitou KID darted off the park path and into the slightly wooded area within the park. Shinichi muttered expletives under his breath and chased after him. Continuously jumping over roots, side-stepping trees, and ducking under low hanging branches, Shinichi plowed onward while keeping an eye on the thief. Steadily getting closer, he got just within range to grab KID's cape when suddenly the thief went _up_ and Shinichi went _down_.

By swinging up into the tree, Kaitou KID had managed to avoid falling into the pit Shinichi had fell victim to. Of course, KID had known to avoid it seeing as he had dug it. It'd taken him hours but it'd been worth it. He smiled down at the dazed detective; Shinichi had stumbled head-first into a pit completely filled with whipped cream. The poor detective cursed up a storm for his amused audience of one while he shakily stood in the thick white slippery substance and tried wiping it off his face.

"How long did it take you to dig this? Damnit, do you not have any _normal_ hobbies! God, this feels so _disgusting_."

"Hey, Meitantei-kun."

"What now, you insufferable-" Shinichi stopped short as KID pored a gallon of chocolate syrup on him.

"And now for the finisher! Complete, one Shinichi Sundae~!" KID practically sung out as he dumped a bowl of cherries over the detective's head. "I apologize for the lack of ice cream. The whipped cream was on sale."

"...I have words for you."

"Oh~?"

"They're not very nice words."

"Nevertheless I shall cherish them~."

Shinichi's glare could have boiled water, "I'm bringing a gun to the next heist."

Poker Face kindly reminded KID to not let out a nervous chuckle, "Ah, Meitantei-kun, my no violence policy applies to you too."

"Then I suggest you leave before I get out of this pit unless you want something broken."

"So violent! Well, if you insist, I'll be taking my leave now. Farewell!"

Shinichi watched as Kaitou KID swiftly disappeared into the night, and then slowly and carefully made his way out of the pit. Emerging from the woods, he almost ran smack into Hattori and Hakuba. The other two detectives just gaped at him. Not only was Shinichi completely covered in whipped cream, but he had chocolate syrup all over, as well as the random cherries and leaves that had managed to stick to the sticky syrup.

Hakuba sighed, "I _was_ going to lecture you about being so reckless in jumping out the window, but it looks like you got your just desserts anyway."

Hattori snorted at the corny statement, and then smirked at Shinichi as he reached forward and grabbed a cherry off the boy's shoulder. Shinichi glared, "If you make even one comment pertaining to 'taking my cherry', I _will_ repeat it to Toyama-san, word-for-word, so she can rightfully beat the shit out of you for being a _pervert_."

"I wasn't gonna say anything like that; I was just gonna comment on how impressed I am that Hakuba finally got a sense of humor, even if it is sub-par."

Hakuba sneered at the dark-skinned detective, "The only thing sub-par around here is your-" The argument was cut short by a whipped cream and chocolate syrup covered hand being shoved in both Hakuba and Hattori's faces.

"It would please me greatly if the both of you would kindly shut up. The whipped cream is cold, the chocolate syrup is sticky, and I'm starting to attract bugs. I want to take a shower. So now that you are both sharing in a bit of my discomfort, can we stop this childishness and leave?" Shinichi smiled sweetly as the other two detectives glared at him.

* * *

Kaitou KID let a grin slide across his face as he deployed his hand-glider and took off from the mansion's rooftop. The night's heist had gone perfectly. Not only had Hakuba not been present, Shinichi hadn't managed to unmask him as the mansion's owner's son. He silently thanked Lady Luck for both miracles.

"KID!" a familiar voice called out. Startled, KID looked back to in time to see a soccer ball heading straight for him. Cursing, KID tried to dodge the high velocity ball by performing an emergency aerial maneuver that had him looking rather like an idiot. Unfortunately, while he was able to avoid getting a hole in his hand-glider, in the process of avoiding the ball he dropped the jewel.

The thief watched it fall with a splash into a small pond in the garden bellow him. Checking to make sure the detective on the roof had no more intentions of kicking things at him, KID started to descend towards the pond. Landing, Kaitou KID stepped up to the pond's edge, his keen eyes searching for the egg-sized emerald.

Spotting the gem near some lily pads, KID stepped into the water and carefully made his way toward the emerald. Reaching down, his hand had just broken the water's surface when a large koi fish swam out from under a lily pad to float nest to the jewel. KID froze, his brain short-circuiting. He whimpered, fighting the instinct to shriek and run out of the fish infested water. KID _needed_ to retrieve the emerald; even if it wasn't Pandora, he still needed to return it. Taking a deep breath, KID braced himself. He shot his hand forward, grabbed the jewel, and got the hell out of Dodge, as the saying goes.

As Kaitou KID made his way home, he thought evil, evil thoughts at a certain blue-eyed detective. Shinichi was going to _pay_ for that. Sure, the detective probably hadn't meant to make KID drop the gem, and in a koi pond no less, but that didn't change the fact that parts of KID's clothes were now soaked in _fish water_. The oblivious detective just didn't seem to be getting the message that KID did _not_ appreciate Shinichi's soccer skills showing up at his heists. Determination showed brightly in the thief's eyes. It was time to up the ante.

* * *

Thank you for reading! I hope everyone liked it! :)


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry about this, I decided to re-upload this chapter because not everyone is able to read chapter 4. Hopefully doing this will fix the problem. Sorry for those of you on Alerts.**

* * *

What woke Shinichi up was not his usual alarm clock, but something weighing about ten pounds jumping onto his chest and meowing loudly in his face. This confused him greatly, as he didn't _own_ a cat. Shinichi opened his eyes to a blue morning sky. That was even more puzzling than the cat. Last he checked, his bedroom had a ceiling.

Tilting his head down, he looked at the cat that had settled itself on his chest. The cat licked Shinichi on the nose and then started purring. Reaching down, Shinichi gently lifted the cat and set it beside him. Sitting up, Shinichi observed that not only was he and his bed in the _yard_, but the yard and his bed were crawling with cats.

The cats could be explained by the fact that there were lines of brightly colored catnip making some sort of design all over the yard. How the catnip got there was another matter. Also, how the hell both Shinichi and his bed had made it to the yard without him being aware of it until morning was another mystery.

"Kudou-kun, what the hell did you do to piss off Kaitou KID-san?"

Startled, Shinichi looked up to see Haibara Ai staring down at him from one of the second floor windows in Agasa's house, "What makes you think I pissed him off? Or that he's involved at all?"

"The catnip shaped as his character doodle was a big hint. How did you not notice him moving you in your sleep? I didn't think you were _that_ heavy of a sleeper, to not notice someone groping at you in your sleep."

Shinichi flushed, "He probably gassed me to assure that I would stay unconscious. And he didn't grope me!"

He could swear that Haibara was leering at him, "Oho? And how would you know if he did or didn't, if you were unconscious? Or were you just pretending to be asleep so you could enjoy being in his arms?"

Shinichi sputtered, "W-what are you talking about! Of course I was asleep! Haibara, you're such a pervert! Agasa-hakase needs to deny you internet privileges! As if Kaitou KID would do anything so disrespectful to anyone when they're sleeping!"

"Ah? Is that disappointment I hear in your voice?"

"It most certainly is _not_!"

"Ahaha, you are so much fun to tease! Well, good luck getting your bed back into your room; lugging it up two flights of stairs isn't going to be very fun."

With that she left Shinichi, the bed, and the dozen or so neighborhood cats in the KID-ified yard. Shinichi shot a glare at the now empty window before sighing and looking at the tabby next to him. Reaching out to scratch behind the cat's ear, Shinichi muttered aloud to himself, "She has a point. Pranks happening at a Kaitou KID heist are pretty much in the job description. But why would he prank me outside a heist? Have I done something to tick him off lately?"

The cat meowed and licked his hand. Shinichi chuckled, "Is that supposed to be a 'yes'? Well, I guess I'll just have to try harder to catch him next time, now won't I?"

* * *

Tom Smith was Shinichi's German professor. He was a average looking man in his thirties who never smiled and seemed to have no enthusiasm for his job. So he received several odd looks when he started the class by grinning widely at the students, "I know you were supposed to have a written quiz today on the vocabulary for basic anatomy, but I seem to have misplaced the test papers." The usually dour man gave the class a big smile. Then one of the classmates sitting in front of Shinichi leaned over to another and, in a near stage whisper, said: "Oh. My. God. Professor Smith got _laid!_" The professor, for his part, ignored him. "So instead, we will do a more practical application. Now I will need a volunteer… Ah, Kudou-kun, please come here."

Shinichi, who had not volunteered, hid his irritation and approached the front of the classroom. Smith practically beamed at Shinichi and then turned to address the class, "I will be pointing to Kudou-kun's different body parts, and I would like you all to say them aloud. Let's begin, shall we?"

The glint in the professor's eyes was vaguely familiar, but Shinichi couldn't quite place from where. He began to have strong misgivings about the situation when the professor grabbed Shinichi's arm, holding it up at an awkward angle and pointing to his elbow.

"Der Ellbogen." The class called, earning a smile. Setting Shinichi's arm down, Smith slid his hand up the detective's arm to stop on his shoulder.

"Die Schulter." The class chorused starting to get a feel for the assignment. Shinichi pointedly ignored the smiles and giggles of his classmates. Turning Shinichi around, the professor placed his hand on Shinichi's back.

"Der Rücken." Turning the boy back around, Smith tilted Shinichi's face up and pointed to his ear.

"Das Ohr." Shinichi was starting to get the heeby-geebies. Did the professor _really_ have to be running his hands across him from body part to body part? He was starting to get funny looks from some of his more perceptive classmates. Smith slid his hand from Shinichi's ear to his mouth.

"Der Mund." The hand dropped down to rest on Shinichi's stomach.

"Der Bauch." Shinichi froze as Smith then stepped behind him and firmly placed his hands on Shinichi's waist. There were a few weak muttered, "Die Taille", but most of the class just stared in disbelief at the professor not-so-subtly molesting a student in front of about forty witnesses. The classmate from earlier leaned over to his friend again, "Oh My God! He's fucking Kudou!" Shinichi went beet red.

Smith pouted, "Aw~, not many people knew that one? Well, how about these?" With that the professor slid his hands down to rest on Shinichi's hips. Gritting his teeth, Shinichi turned around, fully intending to punch the man in the face. Shinichi's fist was caught, however, and Smith gave him a very familiar Cheshire grin.

Shinichi gaped, "You! Do you seriously have nothing better to do outside ofheists aside from harassing me? Do you do this kind of crap to Hakuba and Hattori too?"

"Don't be so silly! I only take time out of my busy schedule to irritate those who deserve it~!"

"And just _what_ have I done to deserve it!"

At that moment the real Tom Smith walked into the classroom, "Sorry class, I had a flat tir-" he trailed off, staring at his double in surprise. Still grinning, Kaitou KID set off a flash bomb. He took the opportunity, while everyone was blinded, to not only vacate the premises, but to also dye everyone's hair an assortment of colors. Of course, he went above and beyond for Shinichi, who now looked rather like a blueberry. Not only his hair, but his skin and clothes were bright blue. Behind him on the white board was written, '_Roses are red, Meitantei-kun is blue, hips are "Die Hüften", and he has nice ones too. Kaitou KID (doodle)_'. The classroom exploded into chatter.

"I hope this dye comes out easily..."

"I didn't know that Kudou-kun was gay!"

"Did you see how he just molested him!"

"He looked just like Professor Smith!"

"Does that mean Kaitou KID-sama is gay?"

"That was weirder than the time a dead body came crashing through the window!"

"Wait, does that mean Kudou-kun and Kaitou KID-sama are gay _together_? That's so hot!"

Shinichi glared at the last speaker. Before he couldtell the deluded girl that, no, he and the famous international thief were _not_ dating, Smith spoke up, "Kudou-kun, if you get me his autograph for my daughter, I will quit giving you failing grades every time you are late for class due to, uh, 'death' related incidences. Though, I would appreciate it if you would ask your boyfriend to stay out of my classroom from now on."

Shinichi gritted his teeth and set about explaining to everyone just why Kaitou KID isn't and never would be his boyfriend. He couldn't help but feel that nobody believed him. The next day, Shinichi couldn't bring himself to be surprised when his professor thanked him for getting the autograph, even though Shinichi had done nothing to procure it. Sometimes Shinichi wondered _why_ Kaitou KID watched him to such an extent, and whether the thief ever paid this much attention to Hattori or Hakuba.

* * *

Kaitou KID grinned into the darkness of the night as he heard the last of the new locks installed on Shinichi's front door click open. Pocketing his lock-picking kit and pilfered key, KID opened the door and entered. He then typed in the six digit security code into the keypad so that the alarm wouldn't go off. Closing the door behind him, KID glided though the house towards his destination, smirk never leaving his face.

Making quick work of the single standard lock on Shinichi's bedroom door, KID quietly entered the room. Spotting the soundly sleeping detective, KID's smirk softened into a smile. He took a moment to admire the way the moonlight fell across the other boy in soft rays, before silently approaching the bed. KID pulled out a white cloth from a pocket, before kneeling and gently holding it over the detective's nose and mouth.

Startled, Shinichi woke up. There was enough time to lock eyes with the thief before the chloroform kicked in. KID pulled the cloth away once Shinichi's eyes fluttered shut and he confirmed the boy was unconscious. Reaching out, KID lightly brushed aside Shinichi's bangs from his eyes and then stroked the side of his face, "C'mon Meitantei-kun~. Re-examine the 'incidents', connect the 'clues', and solve the 'case'. I'm sick of getting bruised!" Pulling out the prank necessities for the night, Kaitou KID set to work.

After several hours, he finally finished. KID couldn't help but smirk at the complete project Shinichi made; he wished he could see the look on Shinichi's face when he saw what KID had spent the last couple of hours doing. Packing away his things, KID set to work on collecting all of Shinichi's long sleeved shirts and pants. With one last lingering look at Shinichi, he departed for the night.

Shinichi woke up confused. It took a moment for realization to sink in. Eyes widening, he sat up with a sense of dread, wondering just what the hell KID had done _this_ time. From the corner of his eye Shinichi saw a dark smudge on the back of his hand. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was Kaitou KID's signature doodle...in a henna tattoo.

It took him a moment to discover the similar, smaller doodles peeking out from beneath his long sleeved pajama shirt. Jumping up, Shinichi raced into the bathroom, turned on the light and stripped off his shirt. His arms, stomach, and chest were spotted in quarter-sized Kaitou KID henna doodles, along with the larger marks on the back of each hand.

Glancing into the mirror, Shinichi couldn't help but gape when he saw that the henna tattoos were on his face and neck too. Turning around, Shinichi glanced back at the mirror and found that they did indeed cover his back. Groaning, he sent up a silent prayer that the tattoos would, if not wash away, at least fade so they weren't so noticeable. Turning the shower on, Shinichi stripped his pants off only to notice his legs were covered in the doodles all the way up to his boxers, where—he was relieved to see—they stopped.

One hot shower later, Shinichi stared in disbelief at himself in the mirror, "You have _got_ to be kidding me." The henna tattoos hadn't faded at all. In fact, they had darkened closer to black instead of the normal soft brown. Shinichi had a strong suspicion that KID had done something to the henna paste to ensure that the tattoos would last longer than usual.

Shinichi could feel irritation swell up within him once he saw that the only clothes left in his closet were shorts and sleeve-less T-shirts. His mood darkened further when he realized that, yes, he was going to have to go out in _public_ looking like this. Worse yet, he was going to have to go to classes looking like Kaitou KID's biggest fan**, **or the thief's graffiti board; it was a toss up. The detective still couldn't look any of hisGerman classmates in the eyes without them giggling at him. Resigning himself to face a day of humiliation, Shinichi got dressed and made his way out of the house.

Locking the front door, he turned around only to find Haibara looking ready to burst a lung, "You either have a very severe case of KID-pox, or a certain someone has finally decided to mark you as his. Well, Kudou-kun? Please, tell me; I'm just dying to know, how much do they cover? Don't spare me any..._details_."

Shinichi's face flushed red, though whether from anger or embarrassment he couldn't quite tell, "I'm pretty sure it's just more of his usual harassment, Haibara."

She raised an eyebrow in question, "Oh? I don't think I would classify it as 'usual'; Kaitou KID-san doesn't follow anyone else home, does he? To the best of my knowledge you are the only one getting so much of his attention. So, Kudou-kun, you might want to use that genius brain of yours to figure out why the great thief keeps doing things like this to you. Unless, of course, you want things to continue as they are. Now if you'll excuse me, Kudou-kun; I'll see you later." With a small wave she turned to leave.

"Wait, why did you come over?"

Haibara turned slightly, sending a smirk at Shinichi over her shoulder, "I received a dove delivered note this morning, telling me that I would be much amused if I chose to visit you. I do believe I'm really beginning to like this thief of yours."

Shinichi frowned, "KID's not _my_ thief."

Haibara stopped at the gate and looked back at him, "Maybe. However, Kudou-kun, I think perhaps he considers you _his_, or else he would not be so irritated with whatever you keep doing." And with that said she left, leaving Shinichi to puzzle over that statement on his own.

* * *

Shinichi entered the room that KID's latest target was being kept in, to find Hakuba, Nakamori, and the task force all hog-tied together in the center of the room. Hakuba nodded toward one of the doors behind him, "He went through that one—probably heading for the roof. Be careful, it's still under construction."

With a quick muttered 'thanks', Shinichi took off through the indicated door. Calling the building's basic blueprints to mind, he made his way toward the roof. The signs of continued construction were very apparent. Shinichi had to step around paint cans, timber, and power tools as well as avoid tripping any traps laid by KID.

Succeeding in that, Shinichi approached the door to the roof and burst through it. He had not realized, however, just how incomplete the construction was on the roof, and only a firm arm around his waist stopped Shinichi from careening face first into the end of an I-beam. Shinichi could feel his heart pounding in his throat, as he stared wide-eyed at the steel beam inches from his face.

"Really Meitantei-kun, didn't anyone ever teach you to look before you leap? What if I hadn't been here to stop you?"

Shinichi wiggled out from the thief's hold, "Then at the very least I would be unconscious and wouldn't have to listen to your lecture. Yes, I know I'm reckless. I hear it enough from Ran, Hakuba, and my mom."

"Well maybe you should heed the women in your life and be more careful."

"…Hakuba is not a girl."

KID snorted, "He might as well be."

"You know, I'm going to tell him you said that."

"And I should care...why?"

Shinichi smirked, "Well _you_ might not, but I feel a little sorry for a certain classmate of Hakuba's that he is convinced is your civilian identity. I'm sure Hakuba will take it out on, ah, Kuroba-san was it?"

KID sighed, "That does sound like the name he is always shouting at me, the poor misled fool. Still, for the sake of the innocent, perhaps you shouldn't mention my earlier comment to Tantei-san."

Shinichi shrugged, "I suppose. How about I won't tell Hakuba, if you tell me why you keep bothering my outside of heists?"

KID gave Shinichi a cocky little grin, "I see the henna has come off rather nicely. How long did it take to completely wash off?"

Shinichi gritted his teeth, "It took two _weeks_ you bastard!" And with that Shinichi reached down, pressing the small button on his belt to release a soccer ball. Shinichi heard a muttered 'shit!' before he kicked the ball into the cloud of smoke KID had just released. Catching sight of movement, Shinichi glanced up and spotted KID emerging from the smoke to perch himself above the detective.

The thief, balanced precariously in the air with his feet spread on two slightly swinging I-beams, grinned down at Shinichi. The grin was soon wiped off his face when the ball—ricocheting off something neither of the boys could see in the smoke—came flying up from beneath KID, passing between the two I-beams to strike KID right between the legs. The thief let out a strangled squeak before falling off his precarious perch.

Shocked, Shinichi ran forward to catch him, trying to lessen the fall. KID crashed into him, sending them both to the ground. Gently rolling the whimpering thief off from on top of him, Shinichi checked to see if KID was injured from the fall. As far as he could tell—which wasn't much considering KID had curled up in a ball clutching his privates—the other boy was unhurt.

"I am _so_ sorry; I swear I didn't do that on purpose! Are- are you going to be okay?" KID gave a low moan.

Shinichi paled, "I'll, uh, go make sure no one comes up here while you're, uh, incapacitated."

Shinichi exited the roof with one last apology to the thief. Shutting the door behind him, he started to make his way down the stairwell. Halfway down, Shinichi ran into Hakuba. Startled, Shinichi asks, "I thought you were tied up?"

Hakuba rolled his eyes, "Yes I was, until a new task force officer left his post at the entrance to see what was taking us so long to capture Kaitou KID-san. Needless to say, he is now being yelled at by Nakamori-keibu. So what happened? Did he get away?"

Shinichi winced, "Ah, no, not exactly. But I think we should, um, just let him go today."

Hakuba stared at Shinichi for a moment and then asked, "Why?"

"Well, let's just say that I don't think he'll be showing up in your Economics class tomorrow, if you still insist on him being Kuroba-san."

The silence stretched between them for a moment, and then Hakuba finally had to ask, "You didn't kill him, did you?" Sighing and shaking his head, Shinichi muttered something of what had occurred. Hakuba stared at him, horrified.

Shinichi flushed, "It was an accident!"

Hours later—once KID had managed to limp away from the heist scene, call Jii to come pick him up, and then wobble his way into his house—Kaito laid in bed and thought evil, malignant thoughts at one Kudou Shinichi. Accident or not, the shot to the balls was the _last_ one Shinichi was getting. The detective obviously wasn't getting the hints, so Kaito decided it was time to have a heart-to-heart chat with the other boy. And _damn_ was he going to enjoy it.

* * *

When Shinichi's alarm clock went off he could tell something was...amiss. Only in rolling over to turn the alarm off did he realize what was wrong. Shinichi paused, prayed that he was mistaken, and then lifted the covers up. Yes, he was indeed naked. No, he didn't know why. On top of that, Shinichi was positive he had worn pajamas to bed last night.

Getting up, Shinichi wrapped his plain white sheet around his waist and walked over to his dresser only to find it completely empty. His closet was the same way—empty. Ominous feeling growing, Shinichi made his way into his parents' room. Sure enough, all his dad's clothes were gone too. Hell, even his _mom's_ clothes were gone! Shinichi carefully made his way through the house. There weren't any coats in the entryway closet, no bathrobes in any of the bathrooms, and even the pile of dirty clothes was gone from the laundry room.

Returning to his room, Shinichi climbed back into bed and contemplated his options. He could have asked Agasa or Haibara to bring him something to wear, except the two were out of town for the week. Also, Shinichi wasn't sure he wanted Haibara to know about this newest incident. She was already getting funny ideas about him and a certain thief; he didn't want to feed the fire.

Ran was also out of town, visiting Kazuha in Osaka for the weekend. Heck, even Hakuba was gone, having left for London to visit his mother. Calling Mouri would just get him laughed at, if the man would even believe him. He could imagine the conversation now, _"I need you to please bring over a set of clothes. Why? Well you see, Kaitou KID stole all my clothes _including _the ones I wore to bed. No, I am _not _taking any drugs."_ Yeah, that would go over real well. And thus, options spent, Shinichi decided to take the advice of the big sign on his wall that read, '_Call me~! 08-2273-5189 Kaitou KID (doodle)'_. Grabbing his cellphone from the nightstand, Shinichi dialed the number.

"_Good morning, Meitantei-kun~!_"

"Damnit KID, where are my clothes?"

"_My, my, someone's in a bad mood~. Where are your manners? Is that any way to start a conversation?_"

"I don't think the person who stripped me naked and stole anything I could possibly wear from my house has any right to lecture me on manners!"

"_You could have at least returned the greeting!_"

"I might consider it once you return my clothes."

"_Why are you cranky? You're an eighteen year old boy who woke up naked! Most would have assumed they got lucky.._"

"Are you _insane_ or just _stupid_!"

"_Is that anyway to talk to the guy who has all your clothes?_"

"And _why_ did you decide to take them?"

"_Aha, that's just what I wanted to discuss! I'm coming over, and when I get there we're going to have a nice little chat._"

"What? No! I'm not dressed!"

"_Well, yeah, I do believe that's rather obvious. Don't worry, I'll make breakfast!_"

"...What?"

"_C'ya soon~!_"

The line went dead. Shinichi stared at his cellphone, "He really is insane."

Half an hour later, Shinichi could faintly hear someone calling out a greeting from downstairs. Making sure the sheet was firmly draped over his shoulders, Shinichi made his way downstairs, all the while wondering just how the thief kept getting past his security codes. By the time Shinichi made it to the ground floor, he could hear who he assumed to be KID moving about in the kitchen. Upon entering the kitchen, he was met with an unexpected sight. Either a different weirdo had broken into his house, or he was seeing Kaitou KID out of uniform.

"Let me guess, Kuroba Kaito, right?"

The strange messy-haired look-a-like beamed at him, "That is the name that goes to this face."

Shinichi rolled his eyes, "Please, you're not going to feed my some crap about how you're not actually Kuroba Kaito, and that there are in fact three people running around Japan with damn near the same face?"

Kaito's grin turned cheeky, "That is _exactly_ what I was going to say! And as I could not possibly be stupid enough to tell you my real name, call me Kaito. Now please, sit down and relax while I make breakfast. You do like pancakes, right?"

Shinichi was torn between sitting down, and going upstairs to search through the attic for his dad's shotgun. Then he decided that, no, he didn't want the nightmares shooting his almost twin would most certainly cause him. Sitting down at the kitchen table Shinichi replied, "I like them, but I don't have any pancake mix."

Kaito opened a cupboard and pulled out a box of mix and all of the ingredients it needed. He also trotted over to the refrigerator and pulled out a package of strawberries.

Shinichi just stared at him, "Okay, not only am I not happy with how comfortable you are, strolling around my house uninvited, but...did you stock my kitchen? I didn't have any of those things yesterday."

Kaito, finished with washing the strawberries, walked over to the silverware drawer to fetch a knife to chop the fresh fruit with, "If you ate better, I wouldn't have needed to stock you kitchen. And what do you mean, uninvited? How could someone be uninvited if they have a house key?"

Shinichi twitched, "And just how did you get that? I sure as hell didn't give it to you."

"A certain somebody dropped their key at a heist a while back. I was kind enough to return it to them."

"After you'd made a copy of it."

"Of course~!"

Shinichi sighed and laid his head down on the table so that he was looking at the other boy sideways, "So, if perchance I were to run into Kuroba Kaito on the street, how do you suppose the meeting would go?"

Kaito turned around, watching Shinichi as he mixed the chopped strawberries in with the rest of the batter, "Well if I were to make an educated guess, I think it would depend on the situation. He may already know who you are, considering how much you've been in the newspaper. Don't expect him to be very formal—I hear he just loves to give people nicknames. But let's see, hmm~. I think if you ran into him at one of my heists, he would probably ask you to get my autograph."

Shinichi straightened up in his chair, "At one of your heists?"

Kaito grinned, "Kuroba Kaito is a huge Kaitou KID fan. He has even attended heists in the company of Tantei-san."

Shinichi eyebrows raised in wonder, "With _Hakuba_? I would love to know how that got pulled off."

Turning around, Kaito turn the stove on, pulling out a pan and setting it on the slowly heating surface, "I believe just hearing about that heist still ticks him off. And speaking of Tantei-san, if you were to meet Kuroba-san while in the presence of a certain British friend of yours..."

Shinichi could hear the sound of the spatula scraping across the bottom of the pan as Kaito flipped the pancakes, "Yes, if I were to meet Kuroba-san while I was with Hakuba?"

"Well, and don't take my word on this, but I imagine if Tantei-san were to make the meeting uncomfortable enough, Kuroba-san might do something drastic. Like, say, grope you."

Reconsidering going to get the shotgun, Shinichi sputtered, "Y-you would _what_!"

Kaito turned around, setting three golden fluffy pancakes on a plate in front of the blushing detective, "I didn't say that's what _I_ would do. It's what _he_ might do, if he was made uncomfortable enough. It is, after all, a sure fire way to unsettle both you and Tantei-san."

Shinichi shot him a disgruntled look.

"On the other hand, I believe if you were to meet Kuroba-san on your own on a normal non-heist day, you would find him very much wanting to be your friend."

Shinichi glanced up at Kaito, but had to look away from the intensity in his eyes, "I... You want me to find Kuroba-san and become his friend?"

Kaito sat down across from Shinichi with his own plate of pancakes, "I'm sure he would like that very much~! But before you can become friends with Kuroba Kaito, you must first stop pissing me off. Kuroba-san is, after all, my biggest fan."

Shinichi sent Kaito a startled look, "What—pissing you off? How? I'm just doing my job!"

Kaito shook his head, "Have you truly not realized by now that the only time I ever prank you is in the week after you have succeeded in hitting me with a soccer ball at a heist? Do you not know how much that _hurts_?"

Shinichi gaped at him, "_That's_ why I'm naked?"

Kaito looked him straight in the eyes, "Yes, and unless you promise to stop kicking balls at me, you are going to find yourself in a similarly naked state every heist date from here on out."

"...I should have just gone for the shotgun."

Kaito paused, fork half-way to his mouth, "Eh?"

Shinichi sighed, "Nothing, I was just bemoaning a lost opportunity. So if I promise to stop, you'll give me my clothes back?"

"Of course!"

"Then you have a deal. Now please give me back my clothes."

"Sure! After we've finished breakfast. Wouldn't want it to go cold, now would we Shin-chan?"

"I'll be right back; I need to go get something out of the attic."

Kaito pouted, "Fine, fine. I get the picture." Getting up, Kaito walked over to the sink. Opening the cabinets below it, he pulled out a small duffel bag. Handing it to Shinichi, Kaito plopped back down in his chair.

"See? No need to threaten me with bodily harm. I'll bring the rest over later today. Sheesh, you don't have to be all grumpy since _you_ are getting the better end of the deal."

Shinichi glared, "How so? That's not what it looks like to me."

Kaito looked at him, all wide-eyed and innocent, "But you have the great Kaitou KID's cellphone number! Do you know how many thousands of fans the world over would give their left lung to have that? I even made it untraceable, just for you! I didn't want you to suffer any attacks of conscious by thinking you should turn it over to Nakamori-keibu to help him track me down. You should feel special, it's a number just for you Shin-chan~!"

Shinichi could feel his ire growing, "You're doing that on purpose, aren't you! Go jump in a fire!"

"Aw, you don't mean that!"

"Oh, I rather think that I _do_."

* * *

**A/N: **Only one (maybe two if I decide to split it) more chapter to go~! And the next one will start on the actual **romance**! Or at the very least, smut.

Review if you liked it, please?


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Detective Conan. Or YouTube.

So hi. *waves* I'm sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out. I want to thank everyone who reviewed and sent me PMs asking me if I was alive. It's nice to know that people actually enjoy reading this!

I would like to give a giant thank you to **Nightpounce**. Without her, this would have taken much, much longer to be written. Everyone in this lovely community needs to send her lots of love. Not only for catching all my little grammatical mistakes, but for being a wonderful well of inspiration. That said, this story is going to be a lot longer than originally planned. I hope everybody still enjoys it!

* * *

"_...You want to _what?"

Wincing, Shinichi held his cell phone a little farther away from his ear, "I would like to meet Kuroba Kaito."

"_May I ask _why? _You have never shown_ _interest in capturing Kaitou KID-san outside of heists before._"

"Ah, no, and I'm still not interested in that. I never said anything about KID; I just want to meet Kuroba-san."

"_You _are _aware of my theory on Kuroba-kun actually being Kaitou KID-san, correct?_"

Shinichi let out a soft sigh, "Yes, I am. Irregardless, I would really appreciate it if you would set up a meeting for us."

"_I don't suppose you would tell me if I asked where this sudden urge to meet him came from?"_

Dryly, Shinichi replied, "I hear he makes excellent pancakes."

He could practically hear the confusion emanating from the phone, "_...What? No, never mind. I suppose anything dealing with Kuroba-kun is destined to be overly convoluted and not make sense. Fine. Where would you like us to meet up?"_

"No! No offense, but could you set it up so it's just him and me?

"_...You don't want me there?"_

"Not unless you can promise to not antagonize him. No accusations or even hints of him being KID."

There was a moment of silence, and then, "_What's he going to do to you if I do?_"

"You _don't_ want to know."

Another moment of silence. "_Very well. I shall set up your meeting._"

"Thanks, Hakuba."

"_I don't think you should be thanking me just yet."_

A short while later Shinichi's cellphone buzzed, indicating an email. He flipped it open to read: _Meeting is for the Le Soleil Cafe in Ekoda. Be there at four, tomorrow. Just look for your twin, you can't miss him._ Flipping his cell shut and stuffing it in his pants pocket, Shinichi flopped down in the large arm chair in the corner of the house library.

He hoped he'd made the right decision in making the meeting. Unless he had misunderstood, KID had indicated that he would like Shinichi to take the initiative to become friends with KID's day-time identity. Apparently he'd been correct, as Kuroba Kaito had okay'd the meeting. Shinichi just wasn't sure _why_ he decided to take the thief's offer of friendship.

His head kept telling him it was going to cause more trouble than it was worth. But there was a feeling – deep in his chest – telling him he would regret it if he let the opportunity pass him by. Hopefully by meeting with Kuroba he could figure out what that feeling might mean.

* * *

Shinichi eyed the cafe door while tugging nervously on the edge of his shirt tail. Bracing himself and adjusting the strap of the backpack on his shoulder, he smoothed the bottom of his deep blue dress shirt over his tan pants and entered the cafe. Not spotting anyone of remote resemblance to himself, Shinichi sat down at a booth facing the door, placing his backpack next to him. Ordering a cup of coffee when the waitress came over, Shinichi started flipping through the menu as she left to get his drink.

Despite his repeated glances at the entrance, Shinichi didn't notice Kaito had arrived until he looked up from the menu to see Kaito grinning at him from the seat across from him. Shinichi tried to hide how much the other boy's sudden appearance startled him. He didn't succeed if the widening of Kaito's grin was any indication.

"Kuroba Kaito, at your service! Call me Kaito."

Shinichi nodded in greeting, "Kudou Shinichi. Thanks for coming."

Kaito propped his chin up on his hand, eyes bright, "No problem! Who wouldn't want to meet the great Kudou Shinichi? I've heard nothing but praise about you!"

Shinichi gave a slight smile, "Unfortunately I can't say the same."

Kaito made a disgruntled face, "Hakuba can't bring himself to praise anyone but his beloved Sherlock Holmes and, apparently, Holmes' modern reincarnation."

Shinichi flushed slightly. The waitress interrupted them with Shinichi's coffee and Kaito ordered a hot chocolate. Letting the stilted conversation rest, both boys took a moment to study each other. Now that Shinichi was taking the time to notice, he could see several subtle differences between them.

For instance, Kaito's hair was messier and didn't have the same cowlick in the back. His eyes had a more violet hue, and his cheekbones were a tad sharper. Most noticeably, however, was the difference in the way Kaito held himself. Just watching Kaito lounge back in his seat made Shinichi want to sit up even straighter. Kaito had an easy-going feel about him that was a fine counterpoint to Shinichi's usual seriousness.

The overall image was very different from what Shinichi was used to seeing in the mirror every day. Sure, they looked remarkably similar. Especially, Shinichi imagined, to people that didn't know them very well. But he'd be hard pressed to believe Hattori ever getting him and Kaito mixed up.

Kaito broke Shinichi's mussing, "You know I don't know what Hakuba was going on about – us being twins? You aren't the fabulous face I see in the mirror every morning! Well, not that your face is any less fabulous, but you know what I mean?"

Shinichi smiled, "Yes. Quite obviously, you are you, and I am me. I don't see you and think of myself."

Kaito nodded emphatically, "Exactly!"

The waitress approached the table carrying an obviously hot beverage. She set the steaming hot chocolate down in front of Kaito and said, "It's funny, you would think that twins would like the same drinks, right?" She gave both boys a bright smile before walking away to greet another customer.

Kaito snickered, "I hope you don't mind a future of 'Hey, look at the twins!' that we're gonna be experiencing from now on out."

Shinichi rolled his eyes, "It's alright I suppose. I've been dealing with extremely unobservant people most of my life, so at least I'm used to inane comments."

Kaito gave a nod before downing his hot chocolate in one go. Shinichi gaped, "That had to have been scalding!"

Kaito smirked, "Don't worry, my mouth has many talents of which drinking hot beverages without harm is just the first! Do you want to know the others? I promise they're all just as amazing."

Shinichi could feel his face grow warm, "No, I think I'm fine staying in suspense on that subject, thank you."

"Aw, spoil-sport! Say, I know! Why don't you finish your coffee and then we go to the park? It's a perfect day to be outside!"

Shinichi's brow twitched, "You have entirely too much energy, though I suppose a walk won't do me any harm."

"Oh?

"I've had a rather strenuous week thus far, so the less running around the better."

Kaito raised a brow in question, "Strenuous? Doing what? P.E. classes?"

"I wish – at least then I wouldn't mind so much. No, I've been running down crimin-"

He was interrupted by a scream, "She's _dead!_"

Shinichi let out a sigh. Kaito shot him a look, "I know you solve a lot of murder cases, but surely this doesn't warrant a _sigh_?"

"This," Shinichi nodded toward the dead woman, "is my 26th body this month."

Kaito's eyes widened incredulously, "...But it's only the 15th..."

Shinichi nodded, "Some of them were double homicides. Others, just _really_ crappy days on my part. Let me tell you something, Kuroba-san. I almost never get called in to help on murder investigations. All the cases I have nearly every day? They happen in the course of my everyday life. If that bothers you, I suggest you find a different friend."

As Shinichi turned to make his way to the corpse, Kaito stood up and grabbed a hold of his arm, "Wait a minute."

Shinichi stopped and turned back around to face the other boy, "Yes?"

Staring Shinichi straight in the eyes, Kaito said, "Okay, first of all, who said I had a problem with it? Second, you _don't_ have to take every case that falls into your lap – even if it does so literally. Sure, go gather all the preliminary info you can from the scene, but hand it all over to the professionals that get _paid_ for this kind of shit when they get here. Third, I said to call me Kaito – got that Shin-chan?"

That said, Kaito turned Shinichi around and gently pushed him toward the crime scene. The bewildered detective snapped out of his slight daze, shot one last look at Kaito over his shoulder, and then set to working on what he did best. Kaito watched as Shinichi worked his magic at the scene and then gave his information to the chubby, hat-wearing inspector when he arrived. After Shinichi finished, Kaito approached, introduced himself and then excused both he and Shinichi.

Handing over the backpack he'd grabbed from the booth, Kaito and Shinichi walked in silence for a while on their way toward the park, each lost in their own thoughts.

"You know," Shinichi broke the quiet, "I've never had anyone tell me to not solve a case before just because I didn't have to. Bigoted assholes trying to kick me off a case because they think someone so young is unqualified? Yes, all the time. Ran threatening to send me head-first through a steel beam if I made her late again to something she wanted to do? Unfortunately way too often. Somebody telling me to just take a break? Never."

They turned into the park's entrance. Kaito jumped a few steps forward, spun to face Shinichi, and started to walk backwards, "Well someone has to make you relax! You obviously aren't doing a good enough job of it yourself, Shin-chan."

A scowl crossed Shinichi's face, "Kuroba, when did I ever give you permission to call me by my given name, let alone an abbreviation of it?"

Kaito beamed, "Since when do friends need to be so formal? C'mon, I told you to call me Kaito! Say it with me, Ka-i-to!"

Shinichi rolled his eyes, "Yes, yes – Kaito. There, you happy?"

"Ah, it's like music to my ears! Surely my happiness knows no bounds now that I've heard my name in your dulcet tones!"

Shinichi gave him a look, "Melodramatic much?"

They walked along the park trail for a while, enjoying the good weather and scenery. Then suddenly, from behind Kaito there came an excited scream of "Shinichi-niichan!" before 61 lbs of little girl slammed into the back of a startled Kaito, sending him careening forward into an equally startled Shinichi. The force and momentum caused Shinichi to topple over backwards, 150 plus pounds of Kaito and child knocking the air out of his lungs. Two young boys came running up to the downed group as Shinichi wheezed out, "Ayumi-chan...Kaito..._off_!"

An overly concerned Mitsuhiko asked if Ayumi was alright while Genta helped her up off Kaito. Kaito rolled off Shinichi and they both sat up, gazing up at the three 10-year-olds. Said group of three gaped at them, and Ayumi gasped, "There are _two_ Shinichi-niichans?"

Genta shouted, "Does that mean one's a clone? Or maybe an alien!"

Mitsuhiko shot Genta an exasperated look, "Genta-kun, aliens don't exist. He _might_ be a clone, but he is most likely Shinichi-niichan's twin brother."

Ayumi looked between the two boys perplexed, "But which Shinichi-niichan is the _real_ one...?"

Kaito jumped to his feet, hand on his chest and an expression of sincerity upon his face, "Me! Me! I'm the real Kudou Shinichi! This fiend you see to my side is an evil genetically engineered clone sent from outer space to take my place so he can take over the world! You must save me!"

Shinichi stood up, sending Kaito a 'you have _got_ to be kidding me' look. Mitsuhiko shot Genta the same look when he exclaimed, "See! I _told_ you he was an alien! _And_ a clone! So I was two times as right!"

Ayumi perked up, "I know! We'll have them do a test!"

Mitsuhiko nodded, "Right. The real Shinichi-niichan should be able to prove himself with his amazing deductive skills!"

Shinichi smile, "Very well. Genta-kun, your parents have put you on a diet."

Three sets of eyes stared at him, amazed. Genta asked excitedly, "How did you know?"

"Well not only are Genta-kun's clothes baggy – which is strange because his mom tailors them specially to fit him – but he doesn't have a money pouch on him for snacks. Also his stomach is growling because he is hungry even though you stopped and picked up some snacks not too long ago. Ayumi-chan and Mitsuhiko-kun still have crumbs on their clothes from the snacks but Genta-kun doesn't."

The three children gazed at him in amazement, "Wow!"

Kaito let out a low whistle of appreciation, "You really _do_ have an eye for detail."

The kids set curious eyes upon Kaito.

"So if _he's_ the real Shinichi-niichan, who are you? Are you a detective too? Do you help Shinichi-niichan chase down criminals?" Ayumi asked.

Kaito ignored Shinichi's snicker, "I? Why my dear lady and kind gentlemen, I am Kuroba Kaito – magician extraordinaire!"

And with a flourished bow he presented Ayumi with a fresh yellow rose. Standing, Kaito snapped his fingers. Immediately three poofs of smoke appeared over the kids' heads. When the smoke drifted away the kids were delighted to find pirate hats on their heads. Rolling his eyes skyward at Kaito's antics, Shinichi performed his own flower trick, presenting Ayumi with another yellow rose. Kaito shot Shinichi a look, eyebrow raised in question.

"What? Did you think I would deign to chase after the illustrious Kaitou KID without doing any research? Of course I know a little sleight of hand."

"Well color me impressed. You're just full of surprises, aren't you? Any others I should know about?"

Dryly, Shinichi stated, "Not as many tricks and surprises as you have, I'm sure."

Kaito sent him a smirk, "Oh, I don't know. I'm betting you could do _wonders_ with a little imagination and improvisation."

Shinichi's reply was interrupted by the cry of a very familiar voice.

"Hey everyone! Agasa-hakase said dinner is done. We need to head back to the house."

Shinichi looked over to see Haibara walking up to the other kids. Glancing over at the adults the kids were talking to, Haibara did a double-take.

"Kudou-kun, I was unaware that you had developed the ability to produce copies of yourself. It's a skill you could have used previously, I'm sure."

Shinichi raised an eyebrow and drew breath to respond when he was interrupted by Kaito stepping forward and introducing himself.

"Kuroba Kaito, Magician Extraordinaire! At your service, miss."

Haibara eyed the yellow flower that was presented with a flourish and small puff of pink smoke before reaching out and taking it carefully. Eying the grinning young man warily and twirling the flower between her fingers she seemed to come to a realization. Eyes sliding to the side to rest on Shinichi briefly she smirked before addressing Kaito.

"I see, you are certainly younger than I expected although I suppose it is fortuitous for you. Be sure to take good care of the Detective, he's well versed at getting himself into trouble and he's quite dear to a large number of people."

The corner of her mouth quirked up in a slight smirk, "I certainly would not like to be the person responsible for any harm, physical or otherwise that befell the Beika police force's most cherished consultant."

Kaito gave her a sincere smile, "Rest assured, harming him is not my intention."

Kaito turned, beaming at Shinichi and ignoring the muttered "Some of your pranks left me wondering…" and slung an arm around his shoulders.

"Ne, Shin-chan, I was wondering…"

Haibara interrupted, addressing Shinichi directly, "Shinichi-niichan, Agasa-hakase wanted me to ask if you had any of the medication left over from when you were recovering from the allergic reaction you suffered during that incident with the henna tattoos. Although not as severe as yours, his reaction to the henna tattoo he got while out with us yesterday is quite uncomfortable."

Shinichi gave Haibara a funny look, "Why did the Professor get a henna tattoo?"

Haibara shot a look over at the other children, "We came across a vendor at the festival Agasa-hakase took the others and myself to yesterday. Ayumi-chan and the others convinced him to do it, since they usually only last for about a week."

Shinichi gave a wry smile and nodded, "Yes, I still have some left. I will probably still be out and about for a while more today, so feel free to run into the house and grab it. It's in the medicine cabinet in the downstairs bathroom."

"Alright, I'll let him know. Have fun, boys." Haibara turned, gathering the other kids and leading them out of the park.

Kaito blinked and gave Shinichi a slightly confused look.

"Allergic reaction? There was no sign of any allergic reaction! Since when are you allergic to anything?"

Shinichi gave Kaito a funny look, moving to unwrap his arm from around his shoulders.

"You knowing my medical records being kinda creepy aside, until a couple of weeks ago even I was unaware that I was highly allergic to henna, not having come into contact with it previously. Since not attending class due to Kaitou KID's latest bout of juvenile insanity wasn't an option, I asked Agasa-hakase if he could make me something to keep the skin abrasions to a minimum and prevent infection where the skin was lost."

Kaito stared at him, eyes wide. He failed to react as Shinichi finally wiggled out of his hold.

"Thankfully, the abrasions on my face didn't become inflamed and I was able to cover them up. The rest were easily hidden once I replaced my wardrobe."

Shinichi stiffened as Kaito's hands latched on to each side of his face, drawing him closer. Surprised, Shinichi watched Kaito's eyes as they intently studied his face. Realizing the worry Kaito was experiencing, Shinichi's eyes softened, "Don't worry, there's no scarring or anything. I know KID didn't mean for that to happen. It was just a prank gone rather awry."

Kaito pulled away, giving Shinichi a weak smile and said, "Well I guess all plans can't run smoothly."

"Which is something I'm sure you've long since learned, so cheer up. It's strange seeing you moping. Now c'mon, it's about dinner time. Did you want to grab something to eat?"

Kaito perked up, "Ah yes. Would you be willing to come over to dinner at my house?"

Shinichi hesitated, unsure. Sensing Shinichi's uncertainty, Kaito piped up. "Well, you see, my mom really wanted to see you and I promised I'd do my best to drag you back home."

"Well…"

"I promise the food will be really good! And the house isn't too long a walk from here!"

Shinichi sighed, giving up at the other boy's persistence, "Alright."

Kaito beamed at the detective, "Great!"

Shinichi let Kaito lead as he followed him out of the park and towards Kaito's house. After a while of idle chatter Kaito asked, "So Shin-chan, what's up with the backpack?"

"Well actually, since I was planning on being in Ekoda today anyway, I had some stuff I needed to return to-"

"Kudou-kun?"

Both boys whipped around to see Hakuba exiting the convenience store behind them. Kaito didn't bother to hide his scowl as Shinichi called out, "Hakuba! I was planning on visiting you later today –ah" Shinichi tensed and sent a nervous glance at Kaito, "Um, Kaito, would you mind giving us a moment?"

Kaito sent Shinichi a slight leer, "Surely, Shin-chan, you don't have anything to discuss that can't be said in front of me? We are all friends here after all."

Hakuba sent a glance between Kaito and Shinichi, raised a brow at Kaito and said, "Good evening Kuroba-kun. I trust you met up with Kudou-kun alright? I admit I was concerned about your first meeting being awkward without you having someone to introduce you to each other, but Kudou-kun insisted he could handle it on his own…Everything went well?"

Kaito blinked and shot Hakuba an incredulous look, surprised he wasn't being needled about his night time identity.

"Um, yeah…? Thanks for setting us up."

Hakuba nodded and then turned to Shinichi, who had taken off his backpack and was taking some clothes out of it. Standing up, Shinichi handed the clothes over to Hakuba and said, "Here you go Hakuba. Thank you for lending me your clothes and thanks for your other, uh, assistance as well."

Kaito's eyes focused sharply on Shinichi. "Assistance?"

Shinichi smiled sheepishly, "I was a bit of a mess a while back and Hakuba was kind enough to help me clean up."

Kaito turned his gaze to Hakuba who cleared his throat and said, "I'm not sure if you were aware, but at a heist a few months ago Kaitou KID dropped a bucket full of paint and glitter on Kudou-kun. My house was closest so I offered to let him wash up there since the hose we were going to wash him off with didn't actually work . Unfortunately by the time we got there the paint and glitter had caked on him and he needed assistance getting it out of his hair and off his back."

Kaito swallowed the upset whine that wanted to escape his throat and looked to Shinichi for confirmation. Shinichi nodded and Kaito gave him a strained smile, "Well, I guess it was fortunate that your house was close Hakuba."

Hakuba shot Kaito a funny look and then turned to Shinichi and asked, "So, is your shoulder still hurting at all?"

"Ah no, it's healed up rather nicely, thank you."

Kaito gave Shinichi a concerned look, "Shin-chan, you've been hurt?"

Hakuba shot Kaito a startled look and sent a glance between the two boys before realization dawned in his eyes and he gave Shinichi a pitying look. Shinichi – cheeks turning slightly pink – reached up, scratching the back of his head.

"Well, yeah. But I'm all healed up, really."

Eying the faint blush on the other detective's cheeks, Hakuba silently vowed to himself that it would be best to just _stay out of it_, and said, "Which is amazing, considering you didn't use the arm brace even though you dislocated your arm. Actually, you are very lucky that it was only dislocated and not broken."

Worried, Kaito asked Shinichi, "Did a case go badly?"

Shinichi's face darkened in embarrassment, "No, nothing like that. Hakuba was helping me move my bed back into my room when I tripped over a cat while going up the stairs. Thankfully we weren't too far up the stairs so when the bed landed on me it only dislocated my arm."

Kaito stared at Shinichi, horrified. Shinichi waved his arms in front of himself, "No, no, I'm alright! I'd just been a bit careless, not watching out for the cats."

"I-I guess you have a lot of cats?"

"Er, no. But at the time they didn't seem to want to leave me alone…"

Hakuba checked his watch and cleared his throat, "Well, it's getting on, so I'll be taking my leave. Good night Kuroba-kun. Kudou-kun, I'll meet with you in front of the University tomorrow at noon, correct?"

Shinichi sighed, "Yes, thank you Hakuba."

The boys parted ways, Hakuba heading off in one direction, Shinichi and Kaito in another. The two boys walked along in silence for a bit before Kaito turned and asked, "So, you're meeting up with Hakuba for class…?"

Shinichi glanced over, "Ah, no…He's insisted on escorting me to my classes. He says that since most of our classes are in the same vicinity it's really no trouble for him."

Startled, Kaito looked at Shinichi and asked, "Escort? What do you need an escort for?"

A flush dusted Shinichi's cheeks. "There was an incident in my German class recently. For some reason a large number of classmates, male and female, are approaching me left and right. The girls want to know how to contact KID while the boys want to spend more time with me….and they _don't_ like no for an answer. For whatever reason, Hakuba walking with me is a deterrent. Hakuba is really nice, helping me out all the time."

Kaito's eye twitched, and he couldn't tell if it was from Shinichi praising Hakuba of all people, or from the disheartening news that perverts were hitting on _his_ Shinichi. And it was all Kaito's own fault! Inwardly seething, Kaito asked Shinichi in a tone that was far too innocent, "Do you want help fixing your pervert problem?"

Shinichi eyed Kaito warily, "…Please don't do any lasting damage."

Kaito smiled brightly, "No lasting damage. Right."

Shinichi felt a moment of concern for his classmates and then he sighed. There was no use trying to dissuade Kaito. The boys chatted idly for a while before they reached a large two story house. It had a fairly large yard and the house looked well taken care of.

Walking up the stone path that led to the front door, Shinichi followed Kaito inside. As the boys took their shoes off and slipped on slippers, Shinichi murmured, "Ojamashimasu." and Kaito called out, "Tadaima, Kaa-san!"

Shinichi heard the faint call of "Okaeri nasai" from further in the house. Following Kaito deeper inside, Shinichi took note of how homey and comfortable the house looked and felt. They found Kaito's mother in the kitchen, stirring a small pot of what smelt like stew on the stove top.

Setting her stir spoon down on the counter, Chikage turned around and beamed at Shinichi, "I'm so glad Kaito was able to persuade you to come, Shinichi-kun. It's very nice to see you again, though it has been a while. Ah, in case you don't remember, I'm Kuroba Chikage."

Shinichi blinked, startled and a bit taken aback at being addressed so familiarly, "It's very nice to, uh, see you again, Kuroba-san. Although I'm afraid I don't..."

The detective stiffened as Chikage stepped forward and pulled him into a hug, "Please, call me Chikage. Oooh it's just so good to see you again."

She pulled back, releasing Shinichi from the hug but still grasping onto his shoulders so she could get a good look at him and exclaimed, "My how you've grown! Though not as tall as my Kaito, I see. Bit thin, too. Are you taking proper care of yourself? Eating enough? Feel free to come over anytime you want a home cooked meal! Ah, how have your parents been? Talk to them lately? I'm afraid it's been a while since I last talked to Yukiko-chan."

Shinichi looked at Chikage, bewildered, before glancing back over at Kaito who looked just as confused.

"Um…yes? Kaa-san called last week. She and Tou-san are in France, filming for her new movie. Chikage-san, how do you know them…?"

Patting Shinichi on the arm and moving back over to the stove, Chikage said, "Oh, how silly of me! Go ahead and sit down at the table boys, and I'll explain."

Kaito and Shinichi sat down at the table in the corner of the large kitchen.

"My husband actually used to be your mother's disguise instructor, Shinichi-kun. It was way back when you two were really little. You were probably so small you don't remember, but you two used to play together all the time years ago."

Kaito and Shinichi stared at each other, more than a little flabbergasted. Neither was sure what to think about the fact that they had been childhood playmates. Chikage turned off the stove and then walked over to the cabinet and took out the bowls and silverware before starting to set the table. Both boys pitched in and helped, putting the dishware in its proper place on the table.

Just as Shinichi finished setting the spoons down, he heard a soft coo and felt something land on his head. Freezing, Shinichi glanced over at Kaito who – Shinichi noticed with a scowl – was snickering at him.

Chikage piped up from behind Shinichi, "Kaito, didn't I tell you to make sure all your doves were locked up so they wouldn't bother Shinichi-kun?"

Kaito let a grin take over his face as he drew closer to Shinichi and stroked the dove atop the other boy's head, "But Houseki-chan gets depressed if she's locked up! You can't honestly expect me to do something so cruel to one of my most helpful assistants?"

Shinichi cleared his throat, feeling uncomfortable at the unfamiliar weight on his head, "Would you mind getting your dove off my head please?"

Kaito gave the detective a shocked look, as if he couldn't imagine why Shinichi would want the dove off, "But Shin-chan, she likes you!"

Sighing, Shinichi slowly reached up to touch the bird on his head. Cautious of being pecked, he hesitantly started to stoke the dove. When it didn't show any signs of being opposed to his touch, Shinichi gently wrapped his hands around it and lifted it off his head. Bringing it down to his chest level, Shinichi looked the dove over while stroking it's head. It was pure white with one small gray colored spot around its left eye. Nuzzling into his hand, the dove cooed again.

Kaito crooned out, "Aw, I told you she liked you, Shin-chan~!"

The corner of Shinichi's mouth quirked up in a slight smile and he murmured, "Houseki-chan, huh? Well, nice to meet you."

Houseki cooed again and then jumped onto Shinichi's left shoulder and pressed into the detective's neck. Chikage walked past Shinichi, setting the final dish on the table – a small bowl of rice, identical to two others. Chikage had already filled the bowls with stew while Shinichi had been acquainting himself with Houseki.

The three sat down at the round dinner table – Chikage to Shinichi's right, Kaito to the left and Houseki still sitting on Shinichi's shoulder. All three chorused "Itadakimasu!" and started in on the meal. Between bites, the two Kurobas engaged in small talk and both enthusiastically dragged Shinichi into the conversation whenever he fell silent for too long. It was nice, Shinichi reflected, enjoying the warm company. He'd felt a little out of place at first but both Kurobas were quick to make him feel like he was part of the family.

Shinichi hadn't sat down and had dinner in this type of comfortable setting since before his parents had moved out of the house when he was fourteen. Even the meals he had had in his two years as Conan with Ran and Mouri couldn't be reflected upon fondly, because he'd been so constantly consumed by taking down the Black Organization. The incessant worry over Haibara finding a cure hadn't been much help either.

Shinichi was broken out of his slightly melancholic musings by a soft nip at his ear. Turning his head to the left to try to get Houseki in his sight, Shinichi instead found Kaito staring at him.

"Shin-chan, even Houseki-chan has noticed you're moping! Do you not care for stew?"

Blushing, Shinichi replied, "Ah, no no – the stew is fine! In fact, it's delicious! I was just thinking it's nice to eat dinner like this – together."

Chikage gave him a motherly smile and said, "It is nice, isn't it? Sometimes it gets so quiet with just Kaito and me."

Shinichi shot her a disbelieving look and her smile widened.

"It's true! Please, feel free to come over anytime Shinichi-kun. Your company is a pleasure and you'll always be welcome. And if Kaito ever makes you angry, come to me and I'll set him straight. Actually, you should probably be aware of this – since you will be dealing with him so much and I know he can come off too strong sometimes – Kaito is deathly afraid of fi-"

"Kaa-san!" Kaito interrupted with a shriek.

Chikage gave her son a sharp look, "What? Don't you think he needs a weapon to defend himself if you get to be too much?"

Kaito made a grimace and whined, "He has enough Kaito-deterrents as is!"

Shinichi looked between the two, a little bewildered. He felt that some of the conversation had gone over his head.

"Um, I'm sure I'll be fine; If Kaito gets to be too annoying I'll just ignore him…"

Chikage gave Shinichi an amused look, "Yes, I'm sure that would be good for him."

Kaito pouted at the two of them, but Chikage ignored him and started working on clearing their finished dishes off the table. Shinichi and Kaito moved to help her but she waved them back down; setting the last of the used dishes in the sink, Chikage walked over to the fridge and pulled out a covered dish. Walking over to the dining table and setting the plate down in the center, Chikage pulled off the silver lid. Kaito brightened, Shinichi paled. On the platter was a chocolate cake, entirely covered in whipped cream. There was a fair amount of chocolate sauce drizzled over the top and it was topped with cherries.

Face turning a little green, Shinichi stood up – disturbing Houseki, who flew up onto the top of the fridge – and walked over to the sink and started to do the dishes. The Kurobas looked at Shinichi and then at each other before they stood up.

"Shinichi-kun, are you alright? You don't have to do those, sweetie."

Shinichi turned towards them and smiled weakly, "Uh, no, I'm fine. Sorry to worry you, it's just whipped cream and chocolate sauce doesn't sit well with me."

Kaito made a strangled, choking noise and his mom sent him a sharp look before Shinichi continued, "I'm sorry, I don't mean to waste your dessert, I'm sure it's delicious…"

Kaito spoke up, "Surely you can't be that adverse to it? Everybody loves whipped cream and chocolate sauce!"

Shinichi grimaced. "I finally caved and got the driver's side seat of my car reupholstered after having it smell of a rather nasty mix of chocolate and spoiled milk for _far_ too long. Believe me, that is _not_ an appealing smell."

Kaito gaped at Shinichi as Chikage gasped and asked, "Oh my! Just how did you get whipped cream and chocolate sauce all over the upholstery in your car?"

Shinichi shrugged, "It was just a prank."

Chikage's eyebrows rose in surprise. Glancing over at Kaito, they went even higher when she saw how chagrined he looked. Giving her son a knowing look, Chikage cleared her throat and then put the cover back over the cake. Picking the platter up, she placed it back in the fridge and then started rummaging through the freezer.

"Ah-ha!" Chikage exclaimed, before turning around with three ice cream bars in her hands. "I hope ice cream doesn't bring up any unpleasant memories?"

Shinichi gave her a grateful smile, "No, ice cream is just fine, thank you."

All three sat back down and continued chatting – Shinichi actively participating this time – as they enjoyed their dessert. Chikage noticed – with more than a little amusement – that Kaito would stutter or almost drop his own ice cream every time Shinichi prevented his ice cream from dripping onto his hand by licking around the base and then up the length of the bar.

It was clear to her that the detective had no idea what he was doing to her son. Which was alright. He would learn in time, she was sure. Chikage thought Kaito's infatuation with Shinichi was adorable. She had no doubt that, given time, Shinichi would develop feelings for Kaito too. After all, it was neigh impossible to resist the charms of a persistent Kuroba. Eyes twinkling in delight, Chikage hid her smile behind what was left of her ice cream bar – she couldn't wait to call Yukiko to tell her about the boys.

As the evening progressed, Chikage shooed the boys off into the living room and started working on tidying up the kitchen. When she finished putting away the leftovers and cleaning dishes, Chikage walked, unnoticed, into the living room to find a college soccer game on the television.

Kaito had seated himself rather close to Shinichi on the couch, although the detective didn't seem to notice, wrapped up as he was in prattling off various soccer rules and factoids to a rapt Kaito. Though Kaito's interest in the conversation may have had more to do with how animated Shinichi was in describing his favorite sport rather than any interest Kaito had in the sport itself. Shinichi had a smile on his face, and his eyes danced with excitement.

No doubt, Kaito thought the detective was stunning.

Shinichi paused in this rambling about one of his favorite players, his brilliantly blue eyes brightening even more as he said, "Actually, I'm on the soccer team at our University. We have a game next weekend – would you like to come and watch it?"

Kaito perked up, grinning at the other boy, "I would love to!"

Shinichi informed Kaito what day and time the game would be and the thief assured him he didn't have anything planned for that day and that he would definitely be there. Little did Shinichi know that even if Kaito _had_ had plans, they would have been canceled – immediately. Oh yes, Kaito was _not _missing the opportunity to watch Shinichi run around in shorts.

Chikage approached the couch, startling the boys by piping up, "As much as I would love to sit and talk with you more, Shinichi-kun, it's getting rather late."

The detective ignored Kaito's whine of "8:30 isn't late!" and glanced at his wristwatch, taking note with surprise that it was indeed a little past 8:30.

Kaito's mother continued, "Now I don't know how you arrived in Ekoda today, but if you took the train you will have to leave within ten minutes to make the last one back to Beika. Or did you drive, Shinichi-kun?"

Shinichi shot to his feet, "I took the train so I probably should be going – I didn't realize that the trains don't go until 10 o'clock like they do in Beika."

The detective turned to Chikage, giving her a sincere smile, "Thank you very much for dinner, it was delicious and I had a great time.

The older woman smiled warmly at him and said, "It was a pleasure to have you over, Shinichi-kun. Make sure you come back to visit soon, alright? If you don't stop by on your own I'll send Kaito to fetch you!"

Shinichi gave her an amused grin and replied, "I'm sure he'll drag me back over soon enough without your prompting. My guess is about a week."

Kaito huffed, crossing his arms and pretending to look cross, "Well that just shows how little you know me! I'll have you know I fully plan on kidnapping you in three days. Wednesdays are my cooking nights – and I make an _excellent_ strawberry shortcake."

The detective snickered, "I'll have to taste it to believe it."

"Then Wednesday it is," Chikage said, "but you had best leave so you don't miss the train! Kaito, escort him home, will you?"

Kaito beamed, "You don't even have to ask, I was planning on doing it anyway~!"

Bewildered, Shinichi said, "Uh, that's not necessary. Really. I'll be fine on my own."

Chikage patted his arm with a motherly smile, "Nonsense! I'd worry if we left you to go home by yourself. Kaito's told me about the trouble you get into."

Shinichi insisted, "He really doesn't have to bother. I can take care of myself-"

Kaito slid an arm around the back of Shinichi's shoulders and started guiding him toward the door, "Yes yes. You're capable of defending yourself. However, hopefully my exceedingly good luck will overpower your horrendously bad luck and a situation won't arise in which you have to defend yourself."

"But-"

The other boy interrupted him with a shouted goodbye to his mother as he shepherded Shinichi out the door. Wiggling out from Kaito's arm, Shinichi sent him a put upon look and said, "It really isn't necessary for you to escort me all the way to the station, let alone my house."

Hopping a few steps forward, so he was walking ahead of Shinichi, Kaito spun around and started walking backwards. Eyes locking with the detective's, he said, "Oh but I really think it _is_ necessary. I noticed the only detective gadget you have on you today is your tranquilizer watch. And while I thank you for that, what good is it gonna do you if you miss? Or get mugged by a group of people?"

Shinichi huffed and raised an eyebrow in question, "And I suppose _you_ are going to make that much of a difference if we get mugged?"

The other boy gave him a very familiar sharp grin. Pulling out an equally familiar card gun – from where, Shinichi couldn't quite tell – Kaito said with a hint of steel in his voice, "Oh I rather think I will. I never leave the house without having a few surprises about my person."

Secreting the gun away back where he'd drawn it from, Kaito gave Shinichi a less manic smile, "Besides, this way I get to see where you live! Don't worry, I swear on Hakuba's unwavering obsession with Sherlock Holmes that I am _not_ a creepy stalker."

Shinichi gave the thief a funny look and then snorted, "That's really not something you should be swearing by. But thank you, it's very reassuring."

Kaito beamed at the detective – skillfully avoiding walking into a fire hydrant in his path – and said, "I aim to please."

The rest of the walk to the station, the twenty minute train ride, and fifteen minute walk to Shinichi's house seemed to go by quickly for the two boys – so immersed were they in conversation with each other. Pausing in front of the Kudou mansion, both boys stopped and stared at each other for a few beats.

Shinichi cleared his throat, "See? Nothing untoward happened after all."

Kaito smirked and said smugly, "Ah, but only because I came along. Admit it, if I hadn't been with you you would have gotten detained by some sort of crime."

Shinichi sighed and was glad the darkness of the night hid the faint blush on his face as he said, "Fine, yes, the trip did go a lot more smoothly than most of mine tend to turn out. Happy now?"

Kaito grinned, "Ecstatic."

The thief then stepped forward, taking Shinichi's hand into his own. Taking a sweeping bow, Kaito let his lips brush very lightly against Shinichi's knuckles and said softly, "Adieu, dear Shin-chan. May the sun and planets align so that once more we may meet under such fortuitous -"

The detective snatched his hand back, holding it to his chest as if it were wounded. Scowl masking the darkening blush on his face, Shinichi muttered, "Quit waxing poetic to my hand. You look and sound absolutely ridiculous. Go home and go to bed, Kaito. I'm sure you have classes bright and early tomorrow just like I do. Goodnight."

Shinichi turned and entered the gate in front of his house, back straight and stiff. Giving the detective's back an exceedingly fond smile, Kaito called out, "Goodnight, Shin-chan! Have pleasant dreams~!"

He then stood and watched to make sure that Shinichi entered the house before Kaito turned and made his way back home. It was around 10:40 by the time he got back to the house, but Kaito's mother was still up waiting for him. Walking into the living room, Kaito flopped down onto the couch, sagging into it as if each limb weighed a ton.

His mother, sitting in the armchair to his right, sent him a sharp stare, "I thought I warned you not to traumatize that boy too badly?"

Kaito groaned. Dragging an arm up and letting it fall across his eyes, he whined, "They. All. _Backfired!_ All of my brilliantly beautiful pranks – gone horribly awry!" He then grumbled in a low tone, "Well, I don't know that they _all_ went wrong. But who knows? Maybe someone recorded Shinichi in that blue Renaissance dress and put the video up on YouTube. Now some serial killer that only goes after pretty boys dressed in blue has set his sights on Shinichi because he fits the profile perfectly and -"

The thief cut his own ramblings off and took a deep breath. Leaning forward, he propped up an arm on each knee and then let his chin rest on his conjoined hands. Locking eyes with his mother, Kaito continued in a more reasonable tone, "So. They all backfired. Obviously. Because Shinichi is just so incredibly unlucky and I didn't factor that into my plans so there were no counter-measures to ensure that everything went exactly as I intended. Dammit."

Chikage gave her son a curious look and asked, "So I take it that more than just your Shinichi Sundae prank had unfortunate consequences for Shinichi-kun?"

Kaito let out an aggravated sigh, "Yes. He dislocated his arm trying to get his bed back into his room – which he called Hakuba to help him with. He was allergic to the henna. He has classmates hitting on him left and right – Hakuba is helping him fend them off. And he had to have Hakuba's assistance to get all the paint and glitter off. Hakuba probably saw him shirtless. _Hakuba touched his bed._"

"Kaito, Hakuba-kun is 120 percent straight. If you tried to bend him he would break. What you should be focusing on is how kind it is of Shinichi-kun to give you a chance to befriend him despite how inconvenient and uncomfortable you've made that poor boy's life these last few months. You should put 100 percent of your effort into making him not regret his decision."

Kaito sat in the silence for a few minutes, stewing, before letting out a little sigh and standing up. Walking over to his mother, Kaito leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead, "Alright. You're right, as usual. Night, Kaa-san."

Chikage gave her son a gentle smile, "Goodnight, Kaito."

Ten minutes later, as she was finishing locking up the house and turning off the lights, she heard a muffled shout of "_-ched his bed!_" and then a thump as if someone had kicked a door or wall. Chuckling under her breath, Chikage gave a small shake of her head and silently gave her sympathy to Hakuba. She was sure that by tomorrow afternoon his hair would be a brilliant green.

* * *

**A/N:** So I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter! Again, I'm very sorry for how long it took to get this out, but I DO have a life outside of the internet. As much as I would absolutely love to spend all my free time on my computer, I can't. I'm going to try to do my best to get the next chapter out as quick as I can, but I do have to work story writing around my schedule. Also, writer's block is a pain in the butt.


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